Department for Transport

Skipton-Colne Railway Line

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 5 June (HL15955), what is the estimated cost of the study by the CH2MC consortium comprising Jacobs, CPC Project Services LLP, GHD, Poise and Gardiner & Theobald; whether its geographical scope in terms of (1) timetabling, (2) programme, (3) capital costs, and (4) benefits for all works necessary, extends from at least east of Leeds to the west of the West Coast Main Line; what is the scope of work of each of the above members of the consortium; when is the consortium expected to report; andwhether that report will be published.

baroness vere of norbiton: The work commissioned to date on transpennine rail freight demand and the review of the costs of creating a freight and passenger route via Skipton-Colne has an estimated cost of around £100,000. The anticipated broad division of that work is that project management will be lead by CPC; cost challenge will be lead by Jacobs, GHD and Gardiner and Theobald; and work on freight demand will be led by Jacobs, GHD and MDS Transmodal (subcontractor). The geographical scope of the work will cover at least the area indicated by the noble Lord as its purpose is to assess whether reinstatement of a rail route via Skipton-Colne is part of the right long term solution for transpennine rail traffic. The work is expected to report later this year. As indicated in response to a question from Lord Greaves (HL13163), we will publish the results of feasibility work on the Skipton-Colne scheme when this next phase is complete and we understand the full picture.

Roads: Construction

baroness deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government when a Strategic Environmental Assessment will be undertaken in relation to the choice of a preferred corridor of land for the construction of the planned Oxford to Cambridge expressway.

baroness vere of norbiton: The preferred route for the Oxford to Cambridge expressway, anticipated to be announced in autumn 2020, will be subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment. A Strategic Environmental Assessment will not be required.

Roads: Construction

baroness deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government when a Habitats Regulation Assessment will be undertaken in respect of the ancient woodland, wildlife and conservation areas which will be affected by the planned Oxford to Cambridge expressway.

baroness vere of norbiton: A Habitats Regulations Assessment will be completed if a preferred route has the potential to cause a significant effect on habitats specified in legislation.

Roads: Construction

baroness deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government whentheyplan to carry out an assessment of the effect of the proposed Oxford to Cambridge expressway on flood risks and watercourses.

baroness vere of norbiton: Highways England is in the process of identifying potential routes within the preferred corridor for the Oxford to Cambridge expressway for a non-statutory public consultation in the autumn. This work will include an assessment of environmental impacts, including flood risks and watercourses.

Roads: Construction

baroness deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the one million extra homes planned for the Oxford to Cambridge Arc on traffic in that area; and whether they will recalculate any estimates of faster journey time that would result from the Oxford to Cambridge expressway as a result of any such increased traffic.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Expressway traffic model estimates the predicted traffic demand and volume up to 2045. It takes into account planned development based on planning applications and permissions, and allocated development in Local Plans. Traffic speeds and journey times are calculated accordingly. The impact of any new housing developments in the Oxford-Cambridge Arc on the transport network will be considered as part of the appropriate planning process.

West Coast Partnership Rail Franchise

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 22 May (HL15602), whether they would drop a stated qualifying condition for a bidder for the West Coast Partnership rail franchise without informing other registered bidders; and if not, why they cannot answer the question put on the grounds of it being a live competition.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Department evaluates tenders for the West Coast Partnership in accordance with the processes set out in the Invitation to Tender. This is done to ensure the Department meets its obligations to treat all bidders fairly and equally. The Department does not comment on live competitions in compliance with its contractual and legal obligations.

East Anglia Railway Line

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what account they took of contractual paths held by freight operators before announcing their support for the Great Eastern Main Line Taskforce's "Norwich in Ninety" recommendation; what plans they have to accommodate such contractual paths; and whether any infrastructure improvements were considered.

baroness vere of norbiton: Greater Anglia have delivered the ‘Norwich in 90’ timetable improvements as set out in their Franchise Agreement. These improvements have been delivered without any significant impact on freight services. Delivery of further improvements to journey times will be subject to funding and rail industry planning and investment processes, which the freight operators will be party to. Network Rail is undertaking the Great Eastern Mainline Study which focuses on the long-term capacity need on this important route, with input from key stakeholders. This will be published in due course.

Heathrow Airport: Railways

lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the performance of Transport for London in relation to the frequency and reliability of the shuttle service between Heathrow Central and Terminal 4 to ensure a regular service every 10 minutes in each direction every day.

baroness vere of norbiton: Transport for London Rail operates shuttle services between Heathrow’s terminals. The scheduling and performance of these services is a matter for Transport for London.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

lord rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average waiting time for an appointment to have a MOT test in England.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency does not hold data on the availability of MOT tests in England as the tests are conducted by privately run garages.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

British Steel: Loans

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 22 May (HL15809), whether the review and assessment process followed by the British Business Bank also applied to the process supporting their grant of a £120 million loan to British Steel; and whether that process included a review of the (1) capital structure, (2) tax planning, and (3) managerial record, of Greybull Capital and its associates.

lord henley: The British Business Bank was not involved.

British Steel: Loans

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Henley on 6 June (HL15957),whether the placement of British Steel in receivership on 25 May (1) disqualifies that company from receiving, or (2) places it at risk of not receiving, 2019 carbon credits; if so, what are the implications for the £120 million loan they made to British Steel;and whether they will now answer the original question put, namely, whether that loan was guaranteed by Greybull Capital or related parties.

lord henley: The Deed of Forfeiture bridge facility agreed between Government and British Steel Limited provides legal protections to give Government control of 2019 EU ETS allowances, even under the scenario of insolvency. Under the Deed of Forfeiture agreed between the company and British Steel Limited, the company’s 2019 allowances will be assigned to the Government once issued, and the proceeds from selling these is expected to cover the costs of purchasing the allowances. Greybull are not party to this Deed of Forfeiture, and as a result of the liquidation, day-to-day control has passed to the liquidator of British Steel Limited. The terms of the commercial agreement between Government and British Steel are set out in letters from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee and the Comptroller & Auditor General, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Electric Vehicles: Batteries

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 20 May (HL15733),what progress has so far been made by the Faraday Institution research project into the reuse and recycling of lithium-ion batteries; and when this project is scheduled to be (1) completed, and (2) published.

lord henley: The Recycling of Lithium-Ion Batteries (ReLiB) project is a cross disciplinary research programme investigating the management of End-of-Life Lithium Ion batteries from Electric Vehicles (EVs). Giving end of first life battery cells and components the opportunity for use in a secondary application may be a way to maximise use and value. The ReLiB project aims to develop automated techniques for determining the characteristics and viability of such components so that they can be re-deployed effectively, secure maximum benefits and inappropriate applications can be avoided. Seven leading UK universities are collaborating on this Faraday Institution funded project (£10,060,130). It aims to address technical, commercial, environmental, policy and regulatory aspects of EV battery management. As an important part of the transition to low carbon vehicles, the ReLiB project is initially funded for a period of 3 years commencing 1st March 2018, but with a 10year technology horizon. Outputs from the first phase of the project are now being generated, are and will continue to be, published in peer reviewed scientific journal. Early stage developments include the development of automated systems to dismantle battery packs safely and optimise the processing of the components in the UK. The project will also seek to generate and exploit intellectual property, in the battery re-use and recycling field, generated through the course of the project in collaboration with UK industrial partners.  Developing UK facilities for processing EV batteries will contribute to Government’s aim of developing a more Circular Economy. Recovery of valuable elements such as cobalt and nickel would contribute to securing supplies of the materials required as inputs for indigenous volume automotive UK battery manufacturing facilities.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Ilois: Human Rights

baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps the Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva and Ambassador for Human Rights will take to promote the human rights of people who were evicted from the Chagos Islands between 1968 and 1973.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva and Ambassador for Human Rights engages bilaterally with States to support the Permanent Representative in delivery of their human rights obligations and represents the Government's position in the Human Rights Council in Geneva.The Government recognises that the manner of the removal of Chagossians from the British Indian Ocean Territory in the 1960s and 1970s was wrong. Substantial compensation (around £15.5 million in current prices) has been paid to Chagossians since that time. British courts and the European Court of Human Rights have confirmed that compensation has been paid in full and final settlement.

Burma: Rohingya

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Emergency Response and Assessment Team has predicted that the repatriation of the Rohingya would be an easy process; what assessment they have made of the (1) dangers faced by, and (2) rights to full citizenship of, the Rohingya during their repatriation; and what steps are being taken to bring justice to those responsible for crimes against the Rohingya.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We welcome ASEAN's engagement on this issue through their Humanitarian Assistance Centre. However, we remain deeply concerned that the conditions for safe, voluntary and dignified returns in line with UNHCR principles are not in place. The UK has been clear, as has the UN Security Council, that before repatriations start, Myanmar must create the conditions in Rakhine to allow the Rohingya to return safely, voluntarily and with dignity. Refugees must have full access and independent information about conditions in areas of return and arrangements for repatriation.We have publicly called for the removal of restrictions that withhold citizenship from individuals who are not from a community recognised by the Myanmar authorities as a 'national race', such as the Rohingya. The UK has supported the recommendations of the Rakhine Advisory Commission's to reform the 1982 Citizenship Law and urges the Myanmar government to fully implement them.The UK co-sponsored the resolution at the UN Human Rights Council which set up the Fact Finding Mission in March 2017. This has since found that there may be sufficient grounds for prosecuting senior Myanmar military officials for crimes against humanity. The UK also to secure a resolution which established a mechanism to collect and preserve evidence of atrocities for future prosecutions. We continue to press the Myanmar authorities to ensure its domestic accountability process is independent, credible and results in prosecutions.

Conflict Resolution

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage international partners to establish dialogue with (1) Libya, (2) Syria, (3) Yemen, and (4) the Gulf States, to search for peaceful resolutions to national and international conflicts.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The UK remains committed to supporting the UN-led efforts to resolve the conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa, including those in Libya, Yemen and Syria, and encourages all our international partners to do likewise.

Cameroon: Politics and Government

lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that action on Cameroon is included in the work of the Commonwealth.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Commonwealth is well placed to support Cameroon as part of efforts to address the situation in the Anglophone regions of that country. I recently exchanged letters with the Commonwealth Secretary General to encourage greater engagement with Cameroon to ensure the values of the Commonwealth Charter are respected. We remain in regular contact with the Commonwealth Secretariat and other Commonwealth member states on these issues.

Sanctions

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the successes which can be attributed to their sanctions policies.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK plays a leading role in the development and implementation of sanctions in the EU and the UN. Sanctions are always used as part of a broader political strategy and are designed to change, coerce or send a political signal regarding particular behaviour(s). Whilst linking behaviour change explicitly to sanctions can be challenging, we have some evidence to suggest that sanctions on individuals can lead to their removal from positions of power and reduce their ability to carry out harmful actions. Collective sanctions through the UN or EU, for example the sanctions against the GRU officers who carried out the attack in Salisbury last year, also send a strong political signal that the EU condemns their behaviour.

North Korea: Capital Punishment

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Transitional Justice Working Group’s Mapping the Fate of the Dead: Killings and Burials in North Korea, published in June,which identified 318 public execution sites in North Korea.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The report produced by the Transitional Justice Working Group is deeply troubling. While we have no means to verify its specific claims, many North Korean defectors have told consistent stories of having witnessed summary executions and extra-judicial killings, and have described this practice as widespread. We utterly condemn the use of summary executions.We will continue to raise with North Korea our concerns over its arbitrary use of the death penalty and the wider human rights situation in the country, in international fora and through our Embassy in Pyongyang and the North Korean Embassy in London. Our long standing policy is to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle, and we continue to be a strong supporter of the UN General Assembly Resolution for the moratorium on the use of the death penalty.

Cameroon: Human Rights

lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, both multilaterally and unilaterally, to respond to abuses and human rights abuses by the government and separatists in Cameroon; and what assessment they have made of reports that 450,000 people have been displaced since 2016.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The British Government is deeply concerned about the worsening human rights and humanitarian situation in the Northwest and Southwest (Anglophone) regions of Cameroon. We continue to raise these concerns at the highest levels. Based on UN reports we assess that over 530,000 people have been internally displaced with 35,000 UN registered refugees in Nigeria. The Minister of State for Africa raised concerns directly with the Government of Cameroon in a meeting on 30 April with Cameroon's High Commissioner to the UK and directly with the Prime Minister of Cameroon on 5 March. On 21 March the UK made a joint statement with Austria, supported by 37 other countries, at the UN Human Rights Council urging the Government of Cameroon to establish a credible dialogue to tackle root causes of the conflict. The UK welcomed the visit to Cameroon by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in May and continues to call for unhindered humanitarian access to affected populations, an end to violence and investigations into all reports of human rights violations and abuses.

Ivan Golunov

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations, if any, they have made to the government of Russia about Ivan Golunov who is under house arrest in that country.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​​The UK welcomes the dropping of charges against Russian investigative journalist Ivan Golunov. The Foreign Secretary and the Minister of State for Europe and the Americas publicly voiced thier deep concern following Mr Golunov's arrest. We hope his release is indicative of a movement towards greater press freedom in Russia. We will continue to call on Russia to respect freedom of speech and expression, and will continue to defend media freedom.

Russia: Foreign Relations

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what ministerial meetings, if any, they have recently held with their counterparts in the government of Russia.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​On 16 February, the Minister of State for Europe and the Americas, the Rt Hon Sir Alan Duncan met with his Russian counterpart First Deputy Foreign Minister Titov at the Munich Security Conference.

Darfur: Human Rights

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports by Amnesty International stating that forces of the government of Sudan, including the Rapid Support Forces and allied militias, have continued to commit war crimes and other serious human rights violations in Darfur, including(1) the destruction of villages, (2) unlawful killings, and (3) sexual violence, in the last year.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We continue to support efforts to deliver long-term peace for the people in Darfur, including through development and humanitarian assistance. We condemn the recent looting of the UN mission's West Darfur Headquarters and call for all to respect humanitarian principles. We have been consistent in public and in private that there must be accountability for the crimes committed by members of the former regime. The UK strongly supports the mission of the International Criminal Court; due legal process must be followed.On 6 June, the Minister of State for Africa summoned the Sudanese Ambassador to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to express our grave concerns at the use of all forms of violence, including sexual violence against civilians by the Sudanese authorities. The UK has called for the human rights of all Sudanese people to be respected, the resumption of the political process leading to an agreed peaceful transfer of power to a civilian-led government, as demanded by the Sudanese people.

Darfur: Human Rights

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of continued reported human rights abuses in Darfur, whether they will oppose (1) the withdrawal of all the remaining United Nations African Union Peacekeepers (UNAMID) from Darfur by June 2020, and (2) the closure of the remaining UNAMID team sites by December 2019, at all forthcoming meetings of the UN Security Council; and whether they will raise at those meetings the failure to hand over closed UNAMID bases for civilian purposes and their current occupation and use by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We will continue to support a gradual, conditions-based review of the conditions for the exit of the UN/Africa Union hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and await the outcome of the UNAMID Strategic Review, which will take account of the current circumstances in Sudan.Despite recent reports of violence in areas of Darfur since the removal of Bashir as President and the establishment of the Transitional Military Council, the security situation on the ground has evolved in much of Darfur, and therefore we supported the Security Council's decision in June 2018 to reconfigure UNAMID. However, we recognise that the security situation remains fragile. Our priority is to ensure that changes made to the Mission are sensible, with appropriate review points, and to make sure that a smaller, more flexible UNAMID is still able to fulfil the core components of its mandate.At the UN Security Council, we have urged fellow Council members closely to monitor the impact of UNAMID's reconfiguration, and carefully consider whether the situation on the ground remains conducive to further changes. We are in regular contact with UNAMID and are monitoring the reconfiguration of the Mission closely.

Sudan: Demonstrations

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports thatparamilitaries from the Rapid Support Forces in Sudancarried out more than 70 rapes during an attack on a protest camp in Khartoum; and what assistance they areproviding to opposition groups in Sudan to ensure that evidence in relation to such reports is collected to enable those responsible to be brought to justice.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​On 6 June, the Minister of State for Africa summoned the Sudanese Ambassador to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to express our grave concerns at the use of all forms of violence, including sexual violence against civilians by the Sudanese authorities last week. We have been consistent in public and in private that there must be accountability for the crimes committed by members of the former regime. The UK strongly supports the mission of the International Criminal Court; due legal process must be followed.

Eritrea: Religious Freedom

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Eritrea about the recent arrests and police raids on homes, schools and other facilities operated by people with religious beliefs and of the recent report by Open Doors which identifies a range of measures taken by the Eritrean security services in breach of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK remains committed to promoting and defending freedom of religious belief for individuals of all faiths and beliefs, including in Eritrea. Our Ambassador in Asmara raised the issue of arbitrary detentions of members of the Christian community, including the Pentecostal Church, with the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 20 May. It was also raised with the Minister of Information during the EU/Eritrea Article VIII discussions on 20 March. At the Universal Periodic Review of Eritrea in January we also called for the release of all those arbitrarily detained for political and religious reasons.

Warships

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the recent close naval encounter and near collision of United States and Russian ships in the East China Sea, whether there has been any reassessment of the rules relating to such incidents to avoid the possibility of dangerous escalation.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are aware of this incident. There are clear international rules governing navigation which are vital to ensure the safety of all mariners, both military and civilians. We urge all countries to adhere to these rules. We do not believe that there is a need at this stage to review the rules themselves.

Cabinet Office

European Parliament: Elections

lord balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Lord Young of Cookham on 5 June (HL Deb, cols 110–14), how many European Parliament Voter Registration (UC1) forms they received from the government of Belgium in respect of UK citizens, resident in Belgium, who had declared their intention to vote in the European Parliament elections in (1) 2014, and (2) 2019, in Belgium under the terms of EU Council Directive 93/109/EC; where those forms were received; how they distributed those forms to the respective UK constituencies; and how many such forms they sent to the government of Belgium in respect of EU citizens, resident in the UK, who had declared their intention to vote in the European Parliament elections in (a) 2014, and (b) 2019, in the UK.

lord balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Lord Young of Cookham on 5 June (HL Deb, cols 110–14),how many European Parliament Voter Registration (UC1) forms they received from the government of Germany in respect of UK citizens, resident in Germany, who had declared their intention to vote in the European Parliament elections in (1) 2014, and (2) 2019, in Germany under the terms of EU Council Directive 93/109/EC; where those forms were received; how they distributed those forms to the respective UK constituencies; and how many such forms they sent to the government of Germany in respect of EU citizens, resident in the UK, who had declared their intention to vote in the European Parliament elections in (a) 2014, and (b) 2019, in the UK.

lord young of cookham: Under EU law, EU citizens living in another Member State are able to vote in their State of residence in European Parliamentary elections. Member States will, therefore, arrange for EU nationals to register to vote in their State of residence for these elections. Member States in advance of an upcoming European Parliamentary poll will exchange with each other data on EU nationals who have chosen to register to vote in another Member State. This is intended to identify and avoid double voting at European elections. In the UK, the UC1 form implements this requirement under EU law. EU Council Directive 93/109/EC requires all Member States to send the details of any EU citizens’ declarations to the state they are a citizen of, “sufficiently in advance of polling day” to ensure an EU citizen does not vote twice in the same European Parliamentary election. This is not a new requirement and has been in place for previous European Parliamentary elections. A similar provision applies to UK citizens living in the other EU Member States. The UK Government receives data about UK citizens from the other Member States via a secure online portal managed by the European Commission. Data that can be matched to a local authority is then shared with the relevant local authority via encrypted file transfers. Electoral Registration Officers are responsible for sending the data in respect of EU nationals in the UK to the relevant Member States; the Cabinet Office does not see this data. The requested figures are attached in a deposited paper. In practice, we have found that the Commission’s voter information exchange process is of poor quality, as Member States record different information in respect of persons registering to vote and this may not be sufficient for other States to identify them. For the avoidance of doubt, this does not hinder the ability of the citizen to register to vote, nor indeed, to vote legally in elections. Rather, this is a deficiency in the European Commission’s mechanism to identify double voting. Notwithstanding, it is a criminal offence to vote twice in such elections, and information on voting participation will be recorded in marked registers.   The requested figures for the European Parliamentary elections in 2014 and 2019 are as follows: Belgium   Usable Records ReceivedRecords Sent to Member State201411,69920190Not available yet*   Germany   Usable Records ReceivedRecords Sent to Member State20142813,101201918Not available yet* *The figures for the 2019 European Parliamentary elections are not currently available.

By-elections: Peterborough

lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 3 July 2017 (HL3), 15 September 2017 (HL1448), and 13 October 2017 (HL1671), and by Lord Duncan of Springbank on 21 December 2017 (HL3975), 16 March 2018 (HL6045), 20 November 2018 (HL11393 and HL11394), and 17 May (HL15556), what assessment they have made of whether there was any abuse of the electoral system in the conduct of the by-election for Peterborough on 6 June; and if there was any such abuse, what assessment they have made of whether this is part of a wider pattern of abuse of the electoral system.

lord young of cookham: We take the security and integrity of our democratic processes very seriously.The running of polls is a matter for independent returning officers, not the Government. The Electoral Commission engage with the returning officers, electoral staff and registered parties providing assistance in disseminating information and advice to individuals delivering or participating in elections.We have processes in place to defend against electoral fraud. There is ongoing work with electoral administrators to ensure our elections remain secure and robust, both now and in the future. Measures like voter ID are the latest in our efforts to respect, protect and promote our democracy.Where abuse of the electoral system is alleged, it is for the Electoral Commission or Police to investigate such claims.

Opening up Public Appointments to Disabled People Review

baroness mcgregor-smith: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to implement the recommendations of the review conducted by Lord Holmes of Richmond Opening up public appointments to disabled people, published in December 2018.

baroness mcgregor-smith: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the diversity of public appointees.

lord young of cookham: The Government is committed to improving diversity in public appointments and has made good progress. Between 2015/16 and 2017/18, the number of appointments (including re-appointments) made to women rose from 45% to 48% and to those with a declared disability from 4% to 7%. In 2017/2018 appointments to candidates from a BAME background (where declared) were at 8.4%.But there is still more to do. We have carefully considered the recommendations put forward by Lord Holmes of Richmond in his review. As I set out in my response to my Noble friend’s Oral question in 09 May, we are aiming to publish our response to his review’s recommendations, together with a refreshed Public Appointment Diversity Action Plan, around the end of June.

Public Consultation

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Government consultations there have been in each of the last five years; and to how many of those they published a formal response within 12 weeks of the consultation closing.

lord young of cookham: All public government consultations are uploaded onto GOV.UK where they can be filtered by many criteria, including date of publication, official document status and department. Granular information on consultations across all individual departments is not centrally held in the form requested, as individual departments are responsible for their consultations. The Cabinet Office is responsible for the Government Consultation Principles, which provide departments with guidance on conducting consultations. That guidance sets out that consultations and any response to them should be published on GOV.UK.

Electronic Government

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to invest in the digital transformation of government services.

lord young of cookham: The UK is recognised internationally as a world leader in digital government. The Government Digital Service (GDS) was set up in 2011 with the purpose of digitally transforming government and its services. It leads government’s Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) function, helping departments build and run services that are digital by default and focused on the needs of citizens.Departments have built their digital professionalism and capability and there are now approximately 800 digital services, including applying online for a UK passport, applying for your full or provisional driving licence, checking your state pension, and the voter registration digital service. As an example, over 90% of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Association’s (DVLA) transactions (over 1 billion in 2017/18) are now completed online. Government continues to update current and create new digital services to benefit citizens in their interactions with government.GDS this month published the Government Technology Innovation Strategy which looks at creating the right foundations to use emerging technologies in government. This will help digitally transform government even more by using innovative technology solutions to make government more efficient and save taxpayers’ money. Alongside this, ‘A guide to using artificial intelligence in the public sector’ was published following a review of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in government by GDS and the Office for Artificial Intelligence (OAI).The £20m, 3-year GovTech Catalyst Programme has supported central and local government, devolved administrations, and public sector bodies to find innovative solutions to operational service and policy delivery challenges. It provides public sector organisations a safe space to experiment with innovative technologies by providing them with funding, purely for research and development. The Catalyst also encourages the sharing of digital learning and resources, which allows public sector organisations to identify other groups across the UK working on similar problems. The Programme helps government deliver on a key principle of the UK’s Digital Strategy, to improve the digital business sector in the UK, by providing tech companies of all sizes opportunities with the public sector.Over 10,000 civil servants have also now been trained by the GDS Academy; new standards have made services across government consistent, accessible and intuitive; and departments have delivered digital services to make essential transactions with citizens easier and more efficient.

Early Years Ministerial Group on Family Support

lord farmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the Inter-Ministerial Group on Family support from Conception to Age Two to report.

lord young of cookham: The Early Years Family Support Ministerial Group is considering how the Government can improve the coordination and cost-effectiveness of early years (conception to age 2) family support and identify gaps in available provision. The group will make recommendations to Secretaries of State in due course.

Department for Education

Music: Education

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) music teachers, (2) GCSE music students, (3) A-level music students, and (4) degree level music students, there were in each of the last five years; and how many universities have ceased to offer music as a degree.

lord agnew of oulton: The School Workforce Census contains the majority of information about teacher numbers and the subjects taught by teachers in state funded secondary schools. Information up to 2017 has been provided in table 1, attached. Updated information is due to be published on 27 June 2019.Pupil entries into GCSE music are published each year and have been provided in table 2, attached. These figures are also available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-gcses-key-stage-4.Entries into A level music have been provided in table 3, attached. These figures are also available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results-2017-to-2018-revised.The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on students enrolled in higher education. Information on students entering first degrees in music at English higher education institutions has been provided in table 4, attached.The information requested is not held centrally about the number of higher education institutions that have ceased to offer music as a degree. However, the number of institutions who reported one or more entrants to first degrees in music subjects to HESA in the latest five years available has been provided in table 5, attached. 



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Music: Education

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government in which English local authority areas fewer than 10 students are studying music at publicly funded schools.

lord agnew of oulton: The Isles of Scilly was the only local authority with fewer than 10 pupils at the end of key stage 4[1] entering GCSE music in its state funded schools in 2017/18, with 2 pupils (of a cohort of 124 pupils). Note that this represents just one school. Pupils are required to study music through key stage 1-3. The department's published information at key stage 4 is based on exam entries by pupils, rather than number of pupils studying a subject.[1] Pupils are identified as being at the end of key stage 4 if they were on roll at the school and in year 11 at the time of the January school census for that year. Age is calculated as at 31 August for that year, and the majority of pupils at the end of key stage 4 were age 15 at the start of the academic year. Some pupils may complete this key stage in an earlier or later year group.

Ministry of Justice

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current mean waiting time for PersonalIndependence Payment appeals; how that differs from the mean waiting time for the previous year; and, if the mean waiting time has risen compared to the previous year, what are the reasons for that rise.

lord keen of elie: The information requested is set out in the table below:Current and comparative mean waiting times1 for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) appealsOctober – December 18231 weeksOctober – December 1725 weeks1. Waiting time is interpreted as average clearance time - time taken from appeal receipt to outcome.2. The latest period for which data are availableThe volume of appeals against decisions on PIP has built up since it was introduced as a new benefit, incrementally over time, from 2013. As the number of appeals has increased, so has the average waiting time for an appeal outcome.Waiting times are calculated from receipt of an appeal to its final disposal. An appeal is not necessarily disposed of at its first hearing. The final disposal decision on the appeal may be reached after an earlier hearing had been adjourned (which may be directed by the judge for a variety of reasons, such as to seek further evidence), or after an earlier hearing date had been postponed (again, for a variety of reasons, often at the request of the appellant). An appeal may also have been decided at an earlier date by the First-tier Tribunal, only for the case to have gone on to the Upper Tribunal, to be returned once again to the First-tier, for its final disposal.Waiting times can fluctuate temporarily and geographically, owing to a number of variable factors, including volumes of benefit decisions made locally, availability of medical/disability members, venue capacity and the complexity of the issue in dispute. Any disparity in waiting times is monitored and investigated locally.

Department for International Trade

UK-Peru Infrastructure Task Force

baroness anelay of st johns: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in establishing a joint UK–Peru Infrastructure Task Force; and which minister, or ministers, have policy responsibility for setting, and delivering its objectives.

viscount younger of leckie: A Joint UK-Peru Infrastructure Task Force launched in September 2018 in Lima with a second meeting in London in February 2019. The Task Force objective is to share experience and best practice on planning and delivering major infrastructure projects. The former Minister of State for Trade and Export Promotion (Baroness Fairhead) had policy responsibility for the objectives of the Task Force. Until a successor is in post, my Hon. Friend the Minister of State for Investment (Graham Stuart) has policy responsibility. Key outcomes of the first meetings were to support Peru in developing a National Infrastructure Plan by July 2019, and to develop national strategies for methodologies that will ensure the effective delivery of that plan, with support from HMG’s Prosperity Fund Global Infrastructure Programme.

UK Trade with EU

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, with the EU, to ensure that European businesses which trade with the UK are prepared for a no-deal Brexit.

viscount younger of leckie: No Deal remains the legal default at the end of the extension period. As a responsible Government, we have been preparing to minimise any disruption in the event of no deal for more than two years. The Public Information Campaign [GOV.UK] and our international information campaign on great.gov.uk give businesses in the UK and Europe the information they need to prepare for EU Exit. It includes technical notices on trade remedies, existing free trade agreements and UK trade tariffs after EU Exit. More widely, the Department of International Trade teams in Europe have been reassuring European businesses that the UK remains open for business; that we remain an advocate for free trade and open markets; and that the UK will continue to be an important trading partner for European businesses after we leave the EU.

Export Credit Guarantees

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications for support were approved by UK Export Financein each of the last five years; and for each such application what was its (1) value, (2) destination country, and (3) sector.

viscount younger of leckie: UK Export Finance (UKEF) publishes details of its support including value, destination country and sector on an annual basis. For 2014-15 this information was published in UKEF’s Annual Report and Accounts. From 2015-16 onwards this information has been published alongside Annual Report and Accounts as transparency data. This information is available on UKEF’s website. The table is taken from UKEF’s 2017-18 Annual Report and Accounts and shows a five-year summary of facilities issued. 2017-182016-172015-162014-152013-14Facilities issued580483593588613 Details of UKEF’s support for the last year will be published once its 2018-19 Annual Report and Accounts is laid before Parliament. The 2017-18 data can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/718494/uk_export_finance_businesses_supported_in_2017_to_2018.csv/preview The 2016-17 data can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/630876/uk-export-finance-businesses-supported-list-2016-2017-1.csv/preview The 2015-16 data can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-export-finance-business-supported-2015-16/uk-export-finance-business-supported-2015-16 The 2014-15 data can be accessed here on page 70-83: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/436270/10417-TSO-UKEF_-Annual_Report_and_Accounts_2014-15-ACCESSIBLE07__2_.pdf

Ministry of Defence

AWACS: Procurement

lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how robust in terms of (1) price, and (2) delivery, the approved business case is for the procurement of the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail.

earl howe: All Ministry of Defence (MOD) business cases undergo rigorous assessment in accordance with Joint Service Publication 655, which includes assessments of both cost and deliverability. An outline business case to replace the existing capability delivered by the E-3D Sentry fleet was submitted to the MOD Investment Approval Committee in December 2018. This was subject to approval by MOD Head Office and HM Treasury.

Wildcat Helicopters

lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they haveto improve the performance, endurance and range of Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters by the introduction of (1) tactical data links, and(2) in-flight refuelling equipment.

earl howe: The requirement for a Wildcat tactical data link, as well as options for extending fuel ranges, remain under review by the Royal Navy. I cannot comment further on matters relating to the future capability of our assets as it is likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

EU Defence Policy

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether EU defence initiatives are driving an EU-exclusive approach to security; what assessment they have made, if any, of whether any such initiatives undermine NATO; and whether they intend to have any involvement in such initiatives.

earl howe: NATO remains the cornerstone of our defence. The UK has welcomed closer cooperation on security and defence at EU level, to the extent that it is coherent with NATO.We believe Europe's interests are best served by an EU that is outward-facing and inclusive, ensuring its defence initiatives are coordinated closely with NATO. We have therefore consistently supported the NATO Secretary General's conditions that the EU's defence initiatives should be; coherent with NATO requirements, available to NATO, and have the fullest participation of non-EU Allies of NATO (including the UK after Brexit).We will continue to advocate an open and flexible approach, ensuring that European security benefits from the capabilities and resources that the EU's closest strategic partners bring to bear and to caution against duplication of decision-making structures.As outlined in the UK-EU Political Declaration agreed in November 2018, we foresee a future security partnership that is both flexible and scalable, enabling cooperation on a case-by-case basis and when in mutual interests.

Home Office

Undocumented Migrants

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people illegally entered the UK by seasince January.

baroness williams of trafford: The Permanent Secretary’s letter to the Home Affairs Select Committee on small boat attempts up to and including February 2019 can be found here:https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/home-affairs/Correspondence-17-19/19-03-05-Letter-from-Sir-Philip-Rutnam-KCB-Permanent-Secretary-Home-Office-Migrant-boats-in-the-channel.pdfThe data from March is currently being reconciled to ensure accuracy. No decision has been taken on mode or frequency of any future publication of this data.



Letter - Perm Sec - Home Office Migrant Boats 
(PDF Document, 162.04 KB)

Undocumented Migrants

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people who entered the UK illegally by seasince January have (1) applied for asylum, (2)been detained pending further enquiries, and (3) been returned to another country.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office has published data on the number of illegals migrants who have entered the UK illegally by crossing the Channel and the point at which they were encountered, up to and including February 2019, and this information can be found at Table 2, at the link below:https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/home-affairs/Correspondence-17-19/19-03-05-Letter-from-Sir-Philip-Rutnam-KCB-Permanent-Secretary-Home-Office-Migrant-boats-in-the-channel.pdf Year Number of People encountered and to the point they were encountered2019177Data from March 2019 is currently being reconciled to ensure accuracy. No decision has been taken on mode or frequency of any future publication of this data.The Home Office is unable to report on how many people who entered the UK illegally by sea since January have (1) applied for asylum, (2) been detained pending further enquiries, as the method of entry for those who claim asylum in the UK is non recorded in a format that can easily be retrieved and to obtain this information would require a manual trawl and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs. The Home Office does publish data on the number of applications for asylum in the UK, in its quarterly Immigration Statistics release, the latest release published 24th May 2019. The number of asylum applications for main applicants by country of nationality, made since January 2019 can be found in table as_01_q for main applicants: Year Total asylum applications (Main applicants) 2019 Q18,922Latest edition available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019/list-of-tables#asylumThe Home Office does publish data on the number of people entering detention, in its quarterly Immigration Statistics release, the latest release published 24th May 2019. The number entering detention since January 2019 can be found in table dt_01_q: Year Total detainees 2019 Q16,153 Latest edition available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019/list-of-tables#detentionThe number of illegal migrants who entered the UK illegally by small boats and have been returned to another country currently stands at 35. 



Letter - Migration Boats 
(PDF Document, 162.04 KB)

Undocumented Migrants

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what costs have been incurredfrom (1) intercepting, (2) processing, and (3) housing and maintaining, people who have illegally entered the UK by sea since January.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office publishes data regarding its financial accounts on the GOV.UK website as part of its financial reporting procedures, and also as part of the transparency agenda. The latest report can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2018-to-2019We do not routinely publish breakdowns of operational departmental spending, and are unable to provide this information, as it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.



HO Annual Report and Accounts - 2018-19
(PDF Document, 4.1 MB)

Immigration Controls: Airports

lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what the failure rate is for the automatic scanning of ePassports at (1) London Stansted airport, and (2) other UK airports.

baroness williams of trafford: Protecting the UK border is, and always has been, of paramount importance to this Government. It has never been government practice, for reasons of national security, to comment on operational issues relating to border security. This includes offering commentary on the performance of border systems and of ePassport Gates specifically.

Undocumented Migrants

the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many illegal migrants arrived in the UK by sea in the last 12 months; what proportion of them were trafficked women and children; and of those, what proportion have leave to remain in the UK.

baroness williams of trafford: The Permanent Secretary’s letter to the Home Affairs Select Committee on small boat attempts up to and including February 2019 can be found here:https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/home-affairs/Correspondence-17-19/19-03-05-Letter-from-Sir-Philip-Rutnam-KCB-Permanent-Secretary-Home-Office-Migrant-boats-in-the-channel.pdfThe data from March is currently being reconciled to ensure accuracy. No decision has been taken on mode or frequency of any future publication of this data.We are tackling the organised crime gangs who are exploiting vulnerable and desperate individuals by working across Government and with both domestic and international agencies to respond to this issue.As the Immigration Minister announced in Parliament there have been 24 arrests between IE and NCA in relation to small boat threats.



Letter - Perm Sec - Migrant Boats Channel
(PDF Document, 162.04 KB)

Human Trafficking

the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether theyprovide the independent anti-slavery commissioner with regular information on new arrivals in the UK who may be victims of trafficking, whether or not they register with the National Referral Mechanism;and what guidance they provide on the need to offer care and protection to victims of trafficking while they have temporary leave to remain.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government recognises the importance of sharing data with the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner and will do so where appropriate, including on the number of modern slavery victims coming to the UK.Safeguarding modern slavery victims is a top priority for this Government. We provide guidance available to all frontline staff to help them identify and support potential victims of modern slavery. This guidance is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/509326/victims-of-modern-slavery-frontline-staff-guidance-v3.pdf.We also provide guidance to the staff of the Single Competent Authority (SCA), where all decisions are made on whether someone is a victim of modern slavery, to ensure victims are correctly identified and receive appropriate care and protection. This guidance is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/797903/victims-modern-slavery-competent-auth-v7.0-ext.pdf.The Government is also working to publish statutory guidance to further improve the identification and support for victims.In addition, we are currently conducting a review of the training received by First Responders, to ensure that they are aware of their responsibilities, and that they can effectively connect victims to the support they need.



Victims of Modern Slavery Auth - v7
(PDF Document, 970.76 KB)




Victims of Modern Slavery Frontline Staff - v3 
(PDF Document, 612.44 KB)

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

lord lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Duncan of Springbank on 19 March (HL Deb, col 1408), when the written statement on the Northern Ireland Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme will be laid.

lord duncan of springbank: The written statement to which the Noble Lord refers is in relation to the Department for the Economy (DfE) in Northern Ireland’s commitment to establishing an RHI Hardship Unit. The Department has been working to make progress in establishing the Terms of Reference and setting up of the panel, which will have an independent Chair. A call for evidence in relation to the form and function of the unit will shortly be released, and will close at the end of June. This will inform the Terms of Reference of the Unit. I will await the outcome of that before updating the House on progress. DfE anticipate that the panel will begin to accept applications in September 2019.

Treasury

NHS: Apprentices

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the annual cost to the NHS of the Apprenticeship Levy.

lord young of cookham: In 2016, the then Chancellor, in a letter to the Treasury Select Committee, set out an estimate of the impact of the Apprenticeship Levy on the NHS Hospital and Community Health Service in England. This was estimated to be around £190m. It is not possible to determine accurately the total annual levy payments made by all NHS trusts. This is because HMRC administrative data does not enable NHS trusts and their associated PAYE schemes to be easily identified.

Cash Dispensing: Rural Areas

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impactof the decline in the number of free-to-use cash machines on rural communities.

lord young of cookham: The Government recognises that widespread free access to cash remains important to the day-to-day lives of many people and businesses in the UK. At Spring Statement 2018, the Treasury launched a Call for Evidence on Cash & Digital Payments. This sought to gather evidence on how changing preferences for cash and digital payments impact on different sectors, regions and demographics. In its response document, the Government reiterated its policy is to safeguard access to cash for those who need it while supporting digital payments. LINK, the scheme that runs the UK’s ATM network, has committed to maintain the broad geographical coverage of the ATM network in the UK. LINK has put in place specific arrangements to protect free-to-use ATMs more than 1 kilometre away from the next nearest free-to-use ATM. Furthermore, LINK recently announced new additional premiums to safeguard the presence of free-to-use ATMs in remote and deprived areas. The Government-established Payment Systems Regulator, which regulates LINK, is closely monitoring developments within ATM provision and has used its powers to hold LINK to account over its commitments.